The Zen and Art of Mouse Maintenance ...................................................
The good news about pointing devices is that 1) they don’t fail very often, 2)
replacing them is relatively inexpensive, and 3) you can easily work around a
failed or inadequate device by attaching an external unit.Keep your keyboard clean and occasionally spray it with a can of com-
pressed air to clear away any dirt or donut crumbs that might interfere with
the use of a built-in pointing stick. Carefully clean finger oils and dirt from
any touchpad with a damp cloth; you can also add a small amount — less
than 50 percent of the solution — of isopropyl alcohol. Chapter 10 details
the steps if you want a deeper clean.If a built-in pointer or touchpad fails, they can be replaced as part of a new
keyboard. Or, you can easily attach an external pointing device to work
around the problem or upgrade your system.Mouse skitters ....................................................................................
If your mouse or other pointing device stops working or begins to react
unpredictably, you should determine whether the problem is a mechanical
one — a broken part, a crimped or disconnected cable, or poor personal
mousekeeping, including dirt, oil, or sticky stuff on the moving parts.The easiest way to test an external mouse or other pointing device is to tem-
porarily replace it with a known-good equivalent. If you find that the USB
mouse from your desktop works perfectly well when it replaces the external
mouse, you have established two important details: first, that the USB port
on your laptop is working properly, and second, that the problem is with the
original mouse.You can also try plugging in a new pointing device to the same port. Because
I earn my living in front of a computer, I always keep in my closet at least one
spare trackball (my preferred pointing device) as well as an extra keyboard.
They are intended for use with my desktop machine, but can easily substitute
for a laptop device for testing or workaround purposes.For an external device, check the cable at both ends for crimps, damage, or
loose connectors. This sort of injury should be obvious to the eye. Unless
you’re working with an expensive special-purpose pointer, it probably does
not make sense to attempt to repair a broken cable; it is inexpensive and
much easier to replace the entire unit.Go to Start➪Control Panel➪Mouse icon and visit the specialized controller;
the screen will differ slightly based on your laptop manufacturer and the
pointing device. In Figure 11-2 you can see basic and advanced settings for
the built-in touchpad of a current Toshiba laptop.Chapter 11: Putting Your Finger on Pointing Devices 177